Carrying and applying cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, nutritional or other items can be challenging while travelling or even simply actively engaged in any sort of indoors or outdoors activity walking, climbing, swimming, skiing, tennis or cricket playing and even simply travelling are just some examples.
Normally a user needs to carry a separate container or device such as a bottle of water or a box with nutritional content, or a tube of sun-cream. This adds to the weight to be carried and depending on the shape of the container, it can become extremely inconvenient and cumbersome.
Active or sporting people need therefore a dispensing device that allows easy transportability, accessibility and use of it's content. Especially if immediate access to the content and—as in the case of certain pharmaceuticals or cosmetics—frequent reapplication is needed, the container must be easily carried, seen, accessed, opened, used, shut and stored.
In order to offer such a product at a market relevant price, it should be designed in a way to allow
1) seamless manufacturing in significant numbers and
2) semi-automated or fully automated filling in a hygienically acceptable manner.
A useful contents minimum can be 50 ml volume thus enabling sufficient usages.
There is also a need to also allow for easy dispensing of a minimum of 97% of it's contents in order to comply with all consumer protective regulations.
In general any such devices or containers do not always provide sufficient space to include
a) the brand of it's manufacturer and most importantly
b) all consumer relevant information as directions of usage and listing of all content ingredients, listing of expiry dates etc.
Consumer protection necessitates large quantity of information to appear on the dispensing device and to be easily accessible for the user/consumer. This data should appear on any dispensing device or container (and not only on it's packaging) thus providing sufficient space on the device or container for such information to be printed or labelled is a current problem with prior art devices. Any device not allowing for this space can be extremely difficult to market.
As any device that is carried on the body should be manufactured out of materials that are pleasant to the skin and do not lead to any type of allergies or have other side effects. This problem can be serious for many users.
Some devices are too hard to squeeze. Any chosen materials should allow for easy squeezibility of the device for dispensing the content whilst allowing the device to maintain it's form (materials should not lose “their memory”) while nearly empty.
Materials compatibility is another problem wherein the contents (liquid, semi liquid or small items) in order to avoid eventual chemical reactions between the content and the device.
The environmental concerns of our time make it desirable for the chosen materials to be recyclable. For the same reason any dispensing device or container should allow refillability.
Any device being used in a water or wet environment can cause problems for such devices if they are not waterproofed in some way.
While one is actively engaged in an activity, any device opening should be such as to enable dispensing of appropriate volume of content and it's cap should be such as to allow easy and fast opening, easy accessibility of the content and should be attached so not to be lost during use.
An easy to carry, to use while on land, air or water, light, economical, water proof, refillable and fully recyclable device is a great solution to today's life style needs and environmental concerns.
Yet another problem with current dispensing devices is in providing for storage and refillability.
Displaying devices of such unusual form also pose practical difficulties for sellers as no conventional display tool can be used. Providing a space saving and easily accessible display is necessary. Refilling any such containers also poses problems of convenience and cost.